An attempt at raising socially conscious kids

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What do I tell my kids…?

About politics, justice, and the world we live in? How do I maintain my children’s innocence and happiness while attempting to raise them as socially conscious, politically active, inquisitive, tolerant, and intelligent people? The honest answer is I don’t know. But I’m hoping that this blog will force me to not only think about the ways in which I’ll talk to my kids about topical issues, but also my reasoning behind thinking the way I do. Is what I’m saying based on facts or prejudice or experience? Why do I think that way and how will this thinking impact my children?

You don’t have to like my opinion or agree with it, but the fact is I have children and as they grow older they will be a product of the environment they grow up in. They will grow up to be adults that participate in their communities and they will go on to have kids of their own and so it’s important that they have a solid foundation. It’s my hope that by thinking about how I will talk to my children about issues that can be very difficult, it will force me to break down issues to their very basic principles. It will strip away a lot of the politics and the rhetoric and help me view the world in an uncluttered way (much like I imagine a child would do, but I hope to add some wisdom or at least practical knowledge to that).

Above all, I want my children to want to do more than line their own pockets and bellies. I think talking to them about the world outside of our neighborhood is a great starting point. I hope this blog might also help others engage with their children so that we end up having a generation of kids that are committed not only to their own success and happiness, but also to the fulfillment of those around them.